Sunday, August 24, 2014

Kingdom Coffee and Cycles

The more I am around people who ride bicycles, the more I want to be a regular bicyclist. It's not because I want an excuse to regularly wear bib shorts, or because I relish the idea of sharing the road with easily distracted motorists, but simply because for all the driving I do in my regular commute, I don't get much worthwhile exercise from it (aka you can only do so many curls at a red light). With the busyness of life these days, to knock off exercise and commuting to work with the same action would be glorious. Yet such simplicity cannot be, as I often have to traverse great distances at a moments notice. For now, the bicycle and I cannot be commuting buddies.

So for the time being, I shall relish in the wondrous intersection of coffee and bicycling, especially when they converge at a single shop. My most recent discovery of mutual coffee and bike purveyance was in the lovely city of Springfield, at an operation called Kingdom Coffee and Cycles. The folks behind KCC claim to put a large emphasis on craftsmanship behind everything that passes through their fingers, whether it's a new ride or a well-made macchiatto. Always eager to verify such claims when it comes to coffee, I made my way to their large shop in downtown Springfield.

The voluminous space is separated into a cafe on one side and the bicycle commerce on the other. Being much more interested in coffee this warm morning, I made my way to their gorgeous counter and perused the menu. The current offering of roasters was numerous, but in the end I decided on a Intelligentsia blend of Guatemalan, Honduran and El Salvadoran beans for my espresso (I did not get a name) and an Ethiopian from Populace Coffee via pourover.

The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, smacked of lime, nougat, ginger, root beer and cilantro, making for a pleasant and explosive infusion. The pourover also performed gloriously, with notes of blueberry, dill, chocolate, slight raspberry jelly, a bit of buttered corn muffin and some peanut, all within a medium body.

I must hypothesize that if more bike shops had a coffee operation like Kingdom Coffee and Cycles, more folks would hop on the saddle. Next time you pass through Springfield, make sure to stop in KCC for a great cup of coffee and a new bike.

These wonderful folks made this visit possible in part. Make sure to check them out!